Aaron Larson
Articles By

Aaron Larson

Aaron Larson is the Executive Editor of POWER, where he has covered the global power generation industry since joining the editorial team in 2013. He oversees editorial operations and budget, and serves as content director for the Experience POWER Conference, where he frequently moderates sessions.

Aaron is the host of The POWER Podcast, with more than 200 episodes featuring in-depth conversations with energy industry leaders, technologists, and policymakers. His work has earned regional and national editorial awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA), including recognition for best interview, best editorial, and best podcast.

Before entering trade journalism, Aaron spent 13 years in the U.S. Navy nuclear power program, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He has also worked at commercial nuclear, biomass, and coal-fired power plants in operations, maintenance, safety, financial, and management roles. He holds a Chief A Engineer boiler operator license in Minnesota, a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering technology, and a master's degree with a specialization in finance.

  • Texas-Based Utility Teams Up with Mitsubishi Power to Explore Carbon Reduction Opportunities

    El Paso Electric (EPE) and Mitsubishi Power have signed a joint development agreement (JDA) “creating a collaboration framework to jointly develop projects that will enable EPE to achieve its clean energy goals.” EPE is a regional electric utility providing generation, transmission, and distribution service to approximately 444,300 retail and wholesale customers in a 10,000-square-mile area […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—October 20, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   October 20, 2021 Pioneering 10-MW Baseload Hydrogen Power Plant Breaks Ground in French Guiana Hydrogene de France (HDF) Energy, an independent power producer and fuel cell manufacturer, has kicked off construction of one of the world’s first multi-megawatt baseload hydrogen power plants. […]

  • Former SCANA CEO Will Land in Prison as Result of V.C. Summer Nuclear Project

    Kevin B. Marsh, former CEO of SCANA Corp., was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud related to the V.C. Summer nuclear expansion project. Marsh is the first defendant in the case to be sentenced as a result of the investigation. However, the U.S. […]

  • DTE Energy Will Close Belle River Coal Power Plant Two Years Early

    Detroit-based DTE Energy said it will cease all coal use at its Belle River Power Plant no later than December 2028, at least two years earlier than the facility’s previously scheduled 2030 end date. The Belle River Power Plant comprises two electric generating units, each with a maximum gross design generating output of 697 MW. […]

  • West Virginia PSC Approves Continued Operation of Three AEP Coal Power Plants Through 2040

    The Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) approved Appalachian Power Co. (APCo) and Wheeling Power Co.’s (WPCo’s) request to keep the 2,930-MW Amos, 1,320-MW Mountaineer, and 780-MW Mitchell coal-fired power plants operational until at least 2040. APCo and WPCo are electric power subsidiaries of American Electric Power Co. (AEP), which is one of the […]

  • Best of POWER—October 11, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   October 11, 2021 Terrestrial Energy Launches 390-MW Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor Design Terrestrial Energy has unveiled an upgraded 390-MWe design of its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) power plant to meet utility requirements and boost its cost-competitiveness as part of an effort… […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—October 6, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   October 6, 2021 Improving Power Plant Efficiency with Nanocomposite Surface Treatments It is more important than ever to find ways to use fossil fuels more sustainably. One way to do that is by improving condenser efficiency, and that can be done in […]

  • Stanton Energy Reliability Center Hybrid Supplies Power When Southern California Needs It Most

    Stanton Energy Reliability Center is a unique hybrid power station that includes two GE LM6000 gas turbines, each integrated with a battery energy storage system. The station provides reliable and stable power

  • Sustainability and Efficiency Are Key Considerations at the West Riverside Energy Center

    The West Riverside Energy Center is a two-unit combined cycle power plant located near Beloit, Wisconsin. Alliant Energy’s state-of-the-art facility has several important sustainability and efficiency

  • Getting to Net-Zero GHG Emissions Will Take More Than Closing Coal Plants

    The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, next month. The roughly two-week-long event will bring together delegates from around the world with a goal

  • Three Coal-Heavy Utilities Team Up on New Gas-Fired Power Plant

    Bismarck, North Dakota-based Basin Electric Power Cooperative will join Dairyland Power Cooperative and ALLETE Inc. as co-owners of the planned Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC), a combined cycle natural gas power plant proposed for construction in Superior, Wisconsin. The deal between Basin Electric and ALLETE was announced on Sept. 28. Basin Electric will become a […]

  • Experimental Advanced Fuel Rods Loaded in Russian Nuclear Reactor

    The first Russian-made nuclear reactor fuel bundles with experimental ATF (Advanced Technology Fuel) rods have been loaded into Unit 2 at the Rostov nuclear power plant (NPP) in southwest Russia. The reactor resumed operations earlier this month after a scheduled maintenance and refueling outage. The Rostov site is home to four VVER-1000 reactor units (Figure […]

  • Best of POWER—September 27, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 27, 2021 Ethiopia Outlines $40 Billion Plan as GERD Hydro Startup Nears Ethiopian officials have said they are moving closer to commissioning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) hydropower installation, part of 71 power projects included in a $40 billion investment […]

  • Is America Ready to Take a ‘Baby Step’ Toward Carbon Pricing?

    Most people recognize that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas (GHG), and while not everyone agrees, a majority of climate scientists believe increasing concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere are causing climate change on Earth. Carbon pricing is a market-based strategy for reducing CO2 emissions. The goal of carbon pricing schemes is to place […]

  • A Life Worth Living

    I think it’s fairly common for people to reflect on the meaning of life from time to time. Often, those thoughts arise following the death of a loved one or the passing of some particularly influential person. Recently, POWER received an obituary for Ronald Stanley Redfield. Mr. Redfield was said to have been a lifelong […]

  • ‘What’s Next’ for Siemens Energy?

    Everyone in the power industry is familiar with Siemens Energy. Its technology is behind about one-sixth of the world’s power generation, and even a larger portion than that in the U.S.—roughly a third. Yet, Siemens Energy as currently organized is a fairly new entity. The company was spun off from Siemens AG and began trading […]

  • Best of POWER—September 13, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 13, 2021 Drought-Crippled Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Hydropower Plants Operating at Substantially Decreased Capacity The iconic 2-GW Hoover Dam and 1.3-GW Glen Canyon Dam hydropower plants are operating at substantially reduced capacity, paralyzed by enduring drought conditions across the West, the […]

  • Former Prime Ministers Tout Need for Pumped Storage and More Hydropower

    Tony Blair and Malcolm Turnbull, former prime ministers of the UK and Australia, respectively, suggested pumped storage and more hydropower will be vitally important to electric grids around the world as more wind and solar are added to the power mix. Speaking on the opening day of the World Hydropower Congress, which began Sept. 7 […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—September 8, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 8, 2021 Types of Coal and Fuel Blending Tips for Coal Power Plants There are a handful of reasons why coal-fired power plant managers may want to blend fuel, but often the driving factor is economics. While the cost of the […]

  • 3D Printing: More Than Just a Cool Process, It Offers Real Benefits

    3D printing is a process used to create an object by sequentially adding build material in successive cross-sections, one stacked upon another. It is a form of additive manufacturing. Once considered more of a novelty, 3D printing has evolved into an incredibly valuable production method used to create very intricate designs, including gas turbine components […]

  • Red Rock Hydroelectric Project: Successfully Generating New Power from a Pre-Existing Dam

    There are challenges to adding power generating capability to a dam built for flood control, but the Red Rock Hydroelectric Project shows that the obstacles are not insurmountable. With the right team, success

  • Types of Power Purchase Agreements and Why Each PPA Might Be Used

    Stakeholders are increasingly pressuring corporations to become more sustainable, and often that means using renewable energy to help meet their electricity needs. Most non-power companies don’t want to take

  • Types of Coal and Fuel Blending Tips for Coal Power Plants

    There are a handful of reasons why coal-fired power plant managers may want to blend fuel, but often the driving factor is economics. While the cost of the delivered coal is an important aspect, there could be

  • Phnom Penh Power Plant: An Investment for the Future of Cambodia

    The Phnom Penh power station supports Cambodia’s decarbonization goals. The 200-MW facility’s 11 dual-fuel engines can operate on heavy fuel oil today, with a goal of using much-lower-emission natural gas

  • Optimism Abounds as Infrastructure Projects Fuel Growth

    Soon after COVID-19 first broke into the public consciousness in early 2020, panic filled the streets. I’ll be honest, I was nervous. The U.S. stock market plummeted roughly 35% over the course of about a

  • Best of POWER—August 30, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 30, 2021 California Will Add Gas-Fired Units to Increase Power Supply The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved licenses for gas-fired power units to help the state cope with continued electricity shortages. The move comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier declared… […]

  • The Benefits of Mobile Aero-derivative Gas Turbines for Power Generation

    If you’ve flown on a commercial airplane, you’ve likely sat within a hundred feet of an operating gas turbine engine. Gas turbines have been used to power aircraft since the 1940s. But gas turbines like those on airplanes are also used for generating electricity. These designs are known as aero-derivative gas turbines and occupy a […]

  • Former Westinghouse Executive Charged with Conspiracy, Fraud in Connection with V.C. Summer Nuclear Project

    Former Westinghouse Electric Co. Senior Vice President Jeffrey A. Benjamin was charged with 16 felony counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, and causing a publicly traded company to keep a false record, for his part in failing to truthfully report information regarding construction of new nuclear units at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant in […]

  • Is the World on the Brink of a Mass Extinction Event?

    It’s not unusual for species to go extinct; it happens all the time. In fact, scientists estimate that at least 99.9% of all species of plants and animals that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct. That’s pretty amazing, considering how many species still exist—up to 8.7 million, according to some experts. Mass extinction […]

  • Best of POWER—August 16, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 16, 2021 1.2-GW Dedicated Hydrogen-Fired Power Plant Starts Taking Shape in Texas Entergy Texas will seek approval for a 1.2-GW hydrogen and natural gas–fired combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power facility in Orange County, Texas. The Beaumont-based Entergy Corp. subsidiary on […]